Despite reports of him being on the chopping block, San Miguel Beer import Josh Boone is putting together quite a performance.

Boone breached the 30-20 mark for points and rebounds as he helped the Beermen stay unbeaten in the PLDT Home TVolution PBA Commissioner’s Cup after defeating Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, 112-96, on Sunday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

Boone, whose rumored replacement Kevin Jones had reportedly already arrived in the country, posted 32 points, 21 rebounds and two blocks as San Miguel improved to 2-0 for the conference.

It was far from a one-note performance from the Beermen, though, as several other players contributed to the cause.

Arwind Santos scored 18 points, 12 of them in the fourth quarter, while Marcio Lassiter added 15 markers and Sol Mercado had 14.

Paolo Hubalde also chipped in with nine points and Chris Ross finished with seven markers and a game-high six assits.

The Beermen opened the game hot, with Lassiter hitting a three-pointer in a 9-2 start for San Miguel. They continued to push the lead up as a dunk from Boone and back-to-back baskets from Mercado – a fastbreak layup and a three-pointer – made it 30-15 in their favor.

They closed the first quarter with a 37-23 lead after Ronald Tubid hit a three-pointer at the buzzer. Lassiter finished the first already with 10 points.

In the second quarter, Boone upped his game, scoring eight points and eight boards while Rico Maierhofer hit back-to-back baskets to help the Beermen maintain a 58-44 lead going into the halftime break.

The San Miguel import continued his stellar play in the third, where he scored 15 points and grabbed six boards to take his total to 25 and 19 with a quarter still to play.

But Ginebra put up a fight in the quarter, led by Mark Caguioa, who scored eight points including two three-pointers, as the Gin Kings inched closer, trailing 78-68 at the end of three.

The Kings got it down to as low as eight points, 78-70 and 80-72, on baskets from import Leon Rodgers and Japeth Aguilar.

The Beermen, though, all but wrapped up with a 17-6 run anchored on their running game that gave them their biggest lead of 21 points, 97-76, with 5:29 remaining.

Paolo Hubalde keyed the run with a thee-pointer with adding Chris Ross with a steal and a layup finish on the other end. Boone then scored inside, Lassiter broke away for another layup in transition and Boone hit two more free throws.

Aguilar snapped the run with two points for Ginebra. Hubalde, though, cleaned up a San Miguel fastbreak miss with a putback before Chris Ellis found the basket for a layup.

Santos then scored the next four points to give his team the whopping 21-point lead.

Ginebra could not mount a credible challenge after that.

Rodgers had 33 points, 11 rebounds and five assists in a solid showing. Caguioa, who was held to just two points in the first half, finished with 15 points.

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